22-year-old shooting prodigy Manu Bhaker showcased her skills in the 10 m women’s air pistol event on Day 1 of the Paris Olympics, finishing third with a score of 580 and successfully qualifying for the finals. Hungarian star Veronika Major topped the event with 582 points. Bhaker is currently a topic of discussion due to her exceptional performance. Hailing from Jhajjar, Haryana, she is one of India’s medal hopefuls at the Olympics.
Who is Manu Bhaker?
Talking more about Manu Bhaker, she showed interest in sports from a very young age. Interestingly, shooting was not her first choice, she initially played boxing and tennis before taking up shooting as a profession. She made her international debut at the age of 15, and since then, there has been no looking back. She won a gold medal at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires and another gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast.
Although she faced a major setback at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, finishing 15th and losing in the Qualification Rapid stage of the 25-meter pistol event, her current performances at Paris Olympics 2024 are showing positive signs for a turnaround.
Manu Bhaker Achievements
From winning multiple ISSF gold medals to clinching gold at the Asian Championships and the Commonwealth Games, Manu Bhaker is currently a phenomenon in Indian shooting. In 2020, she was also honored with the prestigious Arjuna Award by the Indian government. It’s important to note that after 2012, India did not win any medals in the pistol category at the Olympics.
Vijay Kumar was the last Indian to win an Olympic medal in pistol shooting, earning a silver. However, with the precision Manu Bhaker is showing, India’s medal drought in this category may end this time.
